Is it safe to enter Thailand on a visa exemption and re-enter with an eVisa after travelling to Cambodia?

Question

Hello,

I’m heading to Thailand for a 5-month UN internship from mid-July to mid-December and want to explore Thailand before it starts, leaving in about a week. The Non-Immigrant ED  visa process just started and might take up to 3 weeks.

Since I won’t get my visa in time, I plan to enter Thailand on a visa exemption, then travel to Cambodia and re-enter with my visa once it's ready. I won’t be in France when the visa is issued, which isn’t ideal, but the process is digital, so I hope it won't be an issue. For the visa exemption, I’ll only have a bus ticket to Cambodia, not a return flight within 30 days. If there’s a gap between the exemption and the visa, I’ll stay in Cambodia.

With recent events complicating border crossings, does this plan seem reasonable? Would you take the risk?

Ask Thailand · Answer

A user plans to enter Thailand on a visa exemption due to delays in obtaining a Non-Immigrant ED visa for a UN internship. They plan to travel to Cambodia and re-enter Thailand once their visa is ready. Concerns about proof of onward travel and potential complications with the eVisa process are raised, especially given the digital nature of the visa application and the challenges with the French embassy. The advice emphasizes the uncertainty and risks involved with their travel strategy.

Tod ********* · Answer

Well, it'll either work or it won't 😕 and no one on this group can tell you one way or the other.

It's your air carrier that is going to require the proof of onward travel coming to thailand "free stamp" (visa exempt) entry and it's up to them if they will accept a bus ticket as proof or require onward travel by air ticket.

As far as getting the eVisa approved AFTER you come here, that is between you and the embassy issuing it and that embassy is France is the worst one in Europe to deal with 😮 Whether they'll issue the visa after they know you're already here is between you and them

If you do manage to get the eVisa you won't have much issue presenting the PDF and entering thailand on a valid 90 day single entry ED visa

Is it safe to enter Thailand on a visa exemption and re-enter with an eVisa after travelling to Cambodia?

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